San Francisco Chronicle

Wildfires raise fears as temperatur­es soar

- By Rachel Swan Rachel Swan is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: rswan@sfchronicl­e.com Twitter: @rachelSwan

A fire that ignited near a petroleum refinery in Rodeo charred 370 acres of hillside by Saturday night and was largely contained. It was among roughly a dozen wildfires that spread throughout the state Saturday, fed by hot weather, gusty winds and tinder-dry grassland.

Firefighte­rs from agencies throughout Contra Costa, the East Bay Regional Park District, and the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection had the blaze about 75 percent contained at 10 p.m. There was no indication that the Phillips 66 refinery was in danger.

The fire started at about 2:30 p.m. at Willow Avenue near Interstate 80, according a spokeswoma­n for the RodeoHercu­les Fire District.

The weather conditions were ripe for fire when three blazes flared up at 2:20 a.m. in rural Contra Costa County. They grew throughout the arid, wind-whipped night, engulfing 250 acres by noon.

One fire began near the intersecti­on of Deer Valley and Balfour Roads, just outside of Brentwood. The others flared up on Marsh Creek Road near Round Valley Regional Park.

Temperatur­es in the area inched up to about 100 degrees as firefighte­rs from several agencies — including East Bay Parks, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection and just about every fire department in Contra Costa County — battled the flames. They had the blazes almost completely under control by noon Saturday, according to Cal Fire spokesman Jim Crawford.

There were no reported injuries or structures lost, he said. The cause of the fire is under investigat­ion.

With the heat and high fire danger, Crawford warned residents of rural Contra Costa County to drink plenty of water and not to operate heavy machinery in dry areas.

Wildfires also raged elsewhere in the state. A blaze in Butte County had charred 2,700 acres by 7:30 p.m. Saturday, burning 10 homes and injuring six people, including one firefighte­r. Evacuation orders were in place along scores of roads.

A fire along Highway 28 near Winters in Yolo County had burned 2,269 acres and was about 75 percent contained by 1 p.m.

In San Luis Obispo County, the Alamo Fire swept through 19,000 acres off Highway 166 near Twitchell Reservoir, forcing home evacuation­s in the Tepusquet Blazing Saddles area. About 1,000 firefighte­rs struggled against steep hillsides and canyons where brush and other vegetation grows thick, said Cal Fire spokesman Chris Elms.

By Saturday afternoon the fire was about 10 percent contained. Officials converted the Miami Center in Santa Maria into an evacuation center.

A fire at Highway 3 and Fay Lane in Siskiyou County was mostly under control by late Saturday morning, after burning 469 acres.

And in San Bernardino County, a wildfire on Highway 38 was mostly under control on Saturday afternoon, after burning 74 acres of land.

The National Weather Service had issued a heat advisory until 9 p.m. Saturday throughout the Bay Area, with a red flag warning for scorching heat, dry air and northweste­rly winds in the East Bay hills.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States